October 11, 2004
Overextended artists
The phenomenon of simultaneous solo exhibitions first came to my consciousness in November 2002, when Inka Essenhigh held dual solos in New York at 303 Gallery and in London at Victoria Miro. Of course I’d noticed the trend before, but it mostly concerned photographers exhibiting multiple prints from the same body of work, not unique artworks for each space. Most artists find it difficult to fill one commercial gallery (as evidenced by the hit-or-miss quality of Essenhigh’s New York show), so why would anyone push to make twice the amount of art in the same amount of time? All of this comes to mind again as we head toward John Bock’s Anton Kern Gallery show. At the same time as he plays the role of installation artist in New York, he plays the roles of curator and architect in London (for his first major UK solo show, now on view at the ICA) and the role of filmmaker in Milan (for a project in Milan’s Stazione Centrale sponsored by the Fondazione Nicola Trussardi). He is also presenting work at the 54th Carnegie International, which opened this weekend. Is this feat of overextension a new record? Is this the record an artist wants to set? I don’t question an artist’s motive for embarking upon this type of jet-setting hyperproduction. But, like a juggler, the more an artist tries to keep aloft the more likely the chance something falls to the ground. Why risk it? Here's to hoping that Bock's New York "ball" isn't dropped.